Hide and Go Stephanie
by mariteri
Summary: Stephanie Plum is missing and Ranger brings in the one person he knows will find her-Lester's estranged wife. Will the woman known by the nickname "The Tracker" find the missing bounty hunter? And is there more going on here than meets the eyes? Read and find out! T for language. A Babe story.
1. Chapter 1

Hello! This is just a little something that came to mind to me. Hope you like it.

**I do not own Stephanie Plum or any of the characters associated with her. Nor do I make any moneys from the posting of this fanfiction.**

XXX

**Chapter One**

Maxine "Tracker" Soto got off of the airplane, hating the fact that she still had to use a cane to get from one point to another. The fact that she was leaning heavier on it just to get off the plane early wasn't lost on Tank, who just grinned at her as he walked over to her. The petite woman smiled as she went over to him and bumped fists with him before he took her carry on, the only bag she brought with her. The two made their way slowly over to the SUV that was waiting for them at the curb. This wasn't due to her leg so much as her lack of height.

They were five minutes out of the airport when she asked, "How's everyone?"

"Good," he said. "Ranger's glad that you're coming in to help out."

She studied him a moment. "He rarely asks for help and he's never said the word please to me. Not even in the bad old days did he ask that way. He sounded…" She thought it over. "Desperate."

"We all are," he said, sounding grim.

"How many days missing now?" she asked.

"Five days, nine hours, and twenty-seven minutes," he told her. "That was the last time anyone saw her. And with every minute that passes, we have less and less hope…"

"Could be she only did a runner and you guys don't know where to look," she told him. "Don't go all doom and gloom until it calls for it, Tank."

He nodded to that, but said nothing.

Maxine took a deep breath and geared herself up for the one question she needed to ask. "How's Lester?"

"A mess," he told her. "He's blaming himself for losing her that day."

"Given what you did tell me, I doubt it was his fault," she murmured. "You told me that she was the one to ditch her trackers and tags, right?"

"That I did," he said, sounding a bit pissed. "We explained to her that they could save her life and she still dumped them. That girl has the common sense of a flea."

"Fleas have more going for them than you think," she told him. "Why else do you think they've lasted this long?"

That had him grinning, but it never reached his eyes. If Tank was this bad, she was going to hate to see how the other guys were doing.

The rest of the ride went in silence, which was fine with her as she took the time to look over the papers that had been photographed and sent to her to study on her trip over from California. Most of the papers were worthless, they held no information that would help in finding her. The lack of anything like a receipt frustrated Maxine, but there was nothing to be done about that.

But then she saw it—a doodle in the corner of one of the papers. She increased the size of it on her tablet and looked at it. "Uh, Tank?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you possibly explain, 'Joe, Ranger, or Tasty Cakes'?"

"I would rather not," he muttered.

"Do it anyway," she ordered. "I need to know her mind set."

He let out a long sigh and said, "She's been in a sorta love triangle with this cop named Joe Morelli and Ranger."

"Hmm, really?" She thought it over and asked, "And what does Tasty Cakes have to do with it?"

"Nothing that I know of," he replied, clearly puzzled. "She loves them and can't live without them. Anything else, you'd have to ask the boss about."

They arrived a Haywood thirty minutes later. But as she was occupied looking over the photos, she never noticed until her door opened and she found herself looking at a big guy with a tattoo in the middle of his forehead. She looked at the flaming skull and let out a humming sound.

"Your parents must have wanted to kick your butt for that one," she murmured, making him grin.

"Sure did," he told her. "I'm Cal. Do you need help out?"

"No thank you," she said, getting out and was balancing on her good leg until she got her cane.

"What happened to you?" he asked, as he walked next to her.

"Landmine," she told him, scrapping her short fall of brown nearly black hair out of her light olive skinned face.

"Why were you even near the landmines anyway?" he asked as they walked into the elevator. It was hard for him to believe that this elfish looking woman would be anywhere near a landmine.

"I was helping with clearing them out," she told him. "I was there with Sam." She took a long deep breath. "German Shepard mix. He didn't make it. He protected me with his body. I wouldn't be here if he hadn't."

"I'm sorry to hear about that," he said. "Sounds like a great dog."

"The best." The elevator opened on five and she made her way straight over to Ranger's office, giving a nod to those on the floor that she knew.

She knocked on the door and was given a brisk, "Enter!"

Walking in, seeing Ranger on the phone. Maxine went over and sat down in one of the guest chairs.

"Don't just give me lip service and do it!" He hit the end sensor and looked like he had wanted to throw it. Dropping it to his desk, he looked over to her. "What do you have so far?"

"Questions," she told him. "Tell me about Stephanie Plum."

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"Tell me about the woman you know," she said. "Tell me about your relationship, tell me about her relationship with Joe the cop, and about your last conversation with her."

His jaw went tight, as he turned away from her. His blank face fell into place, which had her taking her cane and slamming it down onto his desk.

When he looked at her sharply, she snapped, "I didn't come all this way to hit a stone wall. Answer the questions or I'm gone." His eyes narrowed. "Well? Are you going to answer the questions or are you going to get Penski over in Canada?" Ranger rolled his eyes at those words. He couldn't stand Penski and well she knew it.

He took a deep breath and started to talk. But instead of answers to her questions, it was a query of his own. "How's the leg?"

"Gone." He looked at her startled. "They weren't able to fix it and it was only hanging on by one muscle. The rest was mincemeat. There was nothing to be done about it." Maxine pulled up her pant leg and put the prosthetic limb on his desk. "They took it from just midway through the thigh."

"Why are you using a cane?" he asked, as she put it back down.

"Balance mostly," she told him. "Nice diversionary tactics, Ranger." That had his hard lips twisting into an almost grin. "Now answer my questions or you've wasted both of our time."

He sank back in his chair, watching her. "Better from me, right?" This had her nodding. He then went on telling her about the missing woman. "Five-seven, 130 pounds, and all Jersey attitude." He smiled absently, adding, "Steph never judges anything about anyone. I've never met a person like her."

"But?" she pressed.

"She's harder on herself than she ever is on anyone else." His jaw went tight again. "I blame her mom for this." She could have sworn he said, "The bitch" under his breath.

"What's the deal with her and the cop?" she asked.

"They broke up about five months ago. This time for good," he answered. "I knew this time she meant it. I could see it in her face when I asked her about it."

"And where does she stand with you?" she asked.

He only gave her a hard look. "That's none of your business."

"Under normal circumstances, I'd agree with you. But you called me in California in order to find the woman you referred to as your 'Babe' and 'your woman'. You're not one to use those words lightly."

"You don't know me that well."

"Dude, you didn't even call the mother of your daughter that." Standing up, she looked straight at him. "With the last name of Soto you don't think I at least have a bit of a grasp on Spanish?"

"So you were listening in on us," he said casually.

"Nothing to do with your work. Most of that stuff I knew already anyway. No, I listened in on your private conversations. It proved entertaining." She got to the door, saying, "You gossip like teen girls. How could I not think it was funny?"

There was a snort of laughter from him. But this was quickly followed by, "She and I have been together for the past six weeks." She stopped and looked over to him. "In fact that was the last thing that we spoke about."

Maxine looked over to him. "What exactly did you speak of?"

His lips went tight, but he ended up saying, "I told her that we couldn't be anything more than what we are right now."

"Meaning just sex?" she asked to which he nodded.

"So was it a fight or what?"

"It wasn't a fight."

"But?" That had him glaring at her. "Spill."

"It's no wonder that you did so well in the C.I.A.," he muttered.

"With compliments like that I'm sure to be overwhelmed with feeling," she said rather flatly. "And I'll have you know that I get it naturally. I come from a family of nosy people. But you still haven't answered the question."

"It wasn't a fight, but it wasn't not a fight."

"That is as clear as mud," she muttered. "I'm going to see her work station and any areas she spends a lot of time. And before you ask, that would include your place on seven if I must."

He nodded, tossing his key fob over to her. She caught and pocketed it. "Have you spoken to Lester yet?"

"Can't say as I have," she murmured. "Is he in?"

"He should be coming in around fifteen minutes," he told her. "You still have a thing for him?"

She stopped just inside the open door, turning her head slightly. "Do you call what you feel for Stephanie a 'thing'?"

"No," he said, sounding brittle.

"Then do me the same service." Maxine's hard green eyes were nearly pleading with him. "Please."

"Consider it done," he said and watched as she shut the door quietly behind herself.

**TBC...**

XXX

There you go! That's the first chapter. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stephanie Plum or her cohorts. Nor do I make any money from the posting of this fanfiction.**

**Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

**Please read and review.**

**XXX**

**Chapter Two**

She went over to the workstation that was cordoned off with yellow crime tape. Maxine looked over the station, sitting down on the chair in front of the work area. She reached under the table area and pulled up a trashcan. Tasty Cake wrappers, a couple of expired coupons for Cluck in a Bucket, and a few crumpled receipts. Flattening them out, she was looking over the items on each one. Several of the things had her wanting to highlight it. Her head shot out and looked over to see Cal watching her intently.

"Do you have a highlighter I can use?"

He held it up asking, "Yellow?"

"Sure." He tossed it over to her and she caught it easily as she went back to work.

It was while she was looking it over and rubbing her neck that she heard a protest.

"What the fuck!" Lester roared as soon as he saw her sitting at Stephanie's station without seeing who it was. "We aren't replacing…" And that's when Maxine turned to look at him. "Well, shit." He lowered his head and muttered, "Hey, Max."

"Lester," she murmured. "Carlos called me to help out. I'm in no way here to replace anyone."

"Couldn't if you tried," he muttered.

She nodded to this. "You wouldn't happen to know who Stephanie's best friends are?"

"Why?"

"Because best girlfriends know what their men never will," she explained to him. "So do you know their names?"

"Max!"

A broad grin broke out on her face. "Bobby!" She limped out to him and the two hugged tightly.

Lester's eyes narrowed and growled when the big man told her something that had her laughing. She stepped back, slapping his partner as she said, "I have not loss muscle tone! I'll have you know I'm in the best shape of my life, thank you very much."

"Where's Sam?" This from Lester.

Maxine looked over to him. "You didn't bother to read any of the e-mails I sent you, I take it?" She nodded to herself. "I shouldn't be shocked. Sam died a year ago, Lester." She turned to Bobby, asking, "Do you by any chance know who Stephanie's best friends are?"

He thought it over. "We spoke to everyone she knows."

"I figured as much," she said, beginning to sound annoyed. "But I need to speak to her girlfriends."

"Why?" Lester demanded. "What did you find?"

"I found a trail of sorts," she said, looking down at the receipts in her hands.

Lester made a lunge for the papers, which knocked Maxine off balance. She let out a yelp and crashed to the ground. He managed to get the receipts and was looking through them, even as Bobby was helping Maxine to her feet. It was in the middle of doing so that Lester saw it. The fake limb had been revealed thanks to her wide pant leg riding up when she fell down.

"What happened to your leg?"

"You should have read the e-mails," she told him in a tight voice, as Cal handed over her cane. "Thanks." Letting out a long breath, she looked at Lester. "It was a landmine and Sam blocked most of the blow when he tackled me to the ground. He died in my arms." She reached over and snagged the receipts from his numb fingers. "Next time, just ask for whatever I might be holding. I would have handed them to you."

Maxine walked over to Tank's door, knocking on it.

"Enter!"

She opened it, looking in and asking, "Can you spare someone to drive me somewhere?"

He sat up all the straighter. "Where?"

"Who are her best girlfriends?" she asked. "I keep asking, but I have yet to get a damn answer."

He glared over to the guys, before saying, "There's Lula and Connie over at the bonds office. She went to school with this woman named Marylou. If there are others, I don't know."

Maxine nodded to this and inquired, "And the ride?"

"I'll be taking you," Lester said, his voice brooking no arguments.

"Which place is closer?" Maxine inquired.

"The bonds office," Lester said, as he grabbed up his keys. "I won't be needing a partner on this, Bobby."

He took a step back, holding up his hands that told him that he wasn't going to fight him on that.

Lester rode in the elevator down with her to the garage in silence. Once to the SUV, he let her in and went around to the other side of the car.

As soon as they were on the road, she asked, "How are you doing, Lester?"

His lips went tight for a moment. "I've been better."

"I take it that your cousin didn't tell you that he called me?"

"No."

He pulled to a stop and she looked around. "Are we there…"

"We need to speak," he said, his voice hard. "You should have called me."

"I did." He looked at her startled. "I called from the hospital in Afghanistan, I called from the hospital in Germany, and I called you from the V.A. in Washington D.C. I e-mailed you. I tried to find out your SAT phone number and got nowhere. I couldn't stop crying so they doped me up and wouldn't let me near anyway to get a hold of you. Not that it mattered, seeing as you either couldn't or wouldn't answer. Finally I gave up."

"Did you talk to someone?" he asked.

"Yeah, a woman," she said. "Said her name was Rose."

He cursed, hitting the steering wheel. Undoing the seatbelt, he went out of the vehicle and went over to the passenger side. Opening the door, he undid her seatbelt and pulled her into a hug.

At first she didn't know what to do, but then he started speaking. "I am so sorry, _mi reina_." Her arms went around him tightly, burying her face against his neck and inhaling his unique scent. He pulled back, combing her short dark hair out of her face. "You cut your hair even shorter." He looked into her deep green eyes.

"They had to shave my head," she murmured. "I looked like a shorn sheep for the longest time. My family bought me a bunch of wigs. They said one of them made me look like Shakira." She smiled sheepishly. "I think they were exaggerating, but they were trying to boost my spirits."

"Why shave your head?"

"I took some shrapnel to the head," she told him, showing him some scarring to her side of her neck that went up into her hair line. "To the upper body as well. Luckily the helmet and jacket caught most of it. But given how close it was I was lucky to walk away."

"What happened?" he asked quietly. "You know how to avoid landmines. I've seen it myself."

She nodded. "The guy I was partnered with, he sent a newbie ahead of himself." Maxine absently combed her fingers through his hair. "_Madre de Dios_, _él me quería muerta_."

His arms went all the tighter. "What's his name?"

"Dead man walking if I tell it to you," she muttered. "I just want to get on with life."

Lester combed his fingers through her straight, thick pixie haircut, looking at the short lustrous locks. Smiling absently upon seeing the lustrous black-brown shade it was, he said, "I finally know your real hair color."

"Yeah, but it was a close thing though. My niece wanted to dye my hair pink or purple. She couldn't make up her mind."

He chuckled at that even as she was playing with his spiky tresses. "As much as I would love to keep playing with your over gelled hair, we should get over to those friends of Ms. Plum's."

"One thing first," he murmured, leaning in his lips captured hers. The kiss was slow and hot. By the time it ended they were clinging to each other. He rested his forehead against hers, breathing, "What you do to me, woman."

He gave her one last kiss and pulled away, getting back into the SUV. Soon enough they were over to the bonds office. He helped her out of the SUV, handing her the cane and the two made their way over to the office. Maxine looked from one woman to the other. The woman behind the desk appeared to be Italian, from the look of her and held herself with great self-assurance. That kind of assurance one grew up with, Maxine told herself. She had seen it a lot over the years. Gang? No, she thought, it was family. She'd bet money on that. She looked over to the other woman who had been filing before they had walked in. A woman that should have retired the look she was wearing after she had given up the life on the streets. The dress that was about two sizes too small that was such a bright florescent green spandex it nearly had Maxine rubbing her eyes in pain.

"Hello, I'm Maxine Soto," she murmured. "Could I bother you for a moment of your time? I've come over to ask you some questions about Stephanie Plum." They looked to each other and back over to her. Oh yeah, they know something. "Could I bother you for a chair? I may be able to keep my balance these days, but it doesn't mean the leg will put up with more than five minutes standing if it doesn't have to."

**TBC…**

**XXX**

**Translations:**

**Mi Reina-My queen**

**_Madre de Dios_****, ****_él me quería muerta- Mother of God, he wanted me dead._**

I used my Android phone for the Spanish in the story and this was double checked by my beta. But the story is my responsibility, so any mistakes in the translations are ultimately my own.

Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read, review, and favorited/followed. This means the world to me! Thank you again and please have a wonderful day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stephanie Plum or any other of Janet Evanovich's characters. Nor do I make any money from the posting of this fanfiction.**

**Here's the next chapter. There's just one more after this and I'll be posting it shortly. Enjoy!**

**Please read and review!**

**XXX**

**Chapter Three**

"Sure," the woman behind the desk said, pointing to the guest chair.

"Thank you," she said, sitting down. "May I ask whom I am speaking with?"

"I'm Connie Risolli," the woman behind the desk said. "That is Lula."

Maxine looked over to her, her head tilted in genuine curiosity. "One name like Cher?"

Lula blinked at her. "Damn skippy."

Maxine thought it over. "Cool." She looked back over to Connie. "So do tell. How long before she took off was she planning on doing this vanishing act?" Both of them blinked at her owlishly, but said nothing. "I would say about three days to a week before she went into the wind. And a girl like her doesn't keep a thing to herself, does she?"

"She tries, but she ends up spilling her guts." It looked like she was remembering something. "She tried fibbing about it, but she is the worst liar I've ever met," Lula said. "Can't tell a lie. Not about the things that matter anyway."

"Does she normally plan anything?" Maxine inquired, looking out the front of the bonds office to watch the traffic for a moment.

This time it was Connie that snorted and said, "Stephanie never plans anything that I know of. Nothing long term at any rate…" She looked to Lula, who nodded in agreement to this. "Why do you ask?"

They were both looking over to her now, waiting for an answer. "Trying to get a handle on her. Find out what makes her tick, as it were."

Connie's eyes went narrow. "Ranger must have called you in." She then pointed at her when who Maxine could be came to her mind. "You're The Tracker?"

Maxine nodded.

"I heard you're the best," Connie muttered.

Clearing her throat, she said, "I used to be." Those words had Lester looking to her sharply. Maxine ignored him as she went on with, "But that's not what we're here about. Tell me what you know about Stephanie Plum."

"We already told everything we know to RangeMan," Lula said tightly. "Ain't our fault they can't find our skinny assed white girl."

Maxine shrugged, but then shook her head. "I am getting the most irritating feeling that there's more to this than I've found out so far. And I think you two know something about it." Again they looked to each other and back over to Maxine. "Like the fact that a big, powder blue 1953 Buick just did a third drive by." Lester swung around in time to see the same said car jet off. "She's been coming by to visit you, hasn't she?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Connie said casually, but failed somewhat when sweat began to form on her upper lip making her bleached mustache glisten.

Maxine didn't buy that for a moment. "Different topic—Lula, want to play a game? It's called word association. It's a blast."

"Uh, sure," she said hesitantly. "I like to play games. I win them all the time."

"Great," Maxine murmured. "Glass."

"Water." Lula sat up all the straighter. "See? I rock at this."

"Yes that you do." Maxine thought over her next few words and went on. "Snow."

"White."

"Mix."

"Cookies."

"Pregnant."

"Stephanie." Lula clamped her hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide.

Just then a cellphone started to ring in Connie's desk. She answered it, saying, "Yeah?" She went blank faced. "Uh-huh."

"Tell her we'll be gone shortly," Maxine said, getting up. "You might also inform her not even to bother to go to ground again. I got her scent now. Let's jet, Lester."

It was as the door was closing that Maxine heard Lula say, "Holy shit, she's good."

Marylou kept her door shut and yelled through it that the house had the flu. Maxine gave a disbelieving look to the door.

"Sorry to hear that, ma'am, but seeing as I'm caught up on all my shots I don't think that would be a problem. And the fact that it isn't the flu season might also be a big help."

She popped her head out of the door, hissing, "I'm not going to help Ranger find her."

"Seeing as she's in this house it might be easier than you think," Maxine told her. "And her sneaking out right now won't work either, as her car was towed."

A startled yelp followed by, "They can't tow my car!"

Soon enough Stephanie Plum was at the door, tearing it out of Marylou's hands and glaring at Maxine.

"Ah, if it isn't the elusive Miss Stephanie Plum." She looked over to Marylou. "May I come in?"

Giving up the ghost, Marylou waved her in and closed the door behind her. They went over to the kitchen, where the hostess offered coffee and cake. Maxine turned it down, looking over to a still glowering Stephanie.

"I sent Lester to deal with the car." She looked at her watch. "We have about ten minutes to talk. So we have to keep this quick. How far along are you?"

Sitting all the straighter, Stephanie said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I found the receipt with the pregnancy test on it," Maxine said casually. "And Lula confirmed this." Stephanie's face went beet red. "How far along are you?"

"About five weeks," she muttered. "Not that Ranger cares."

"He cares," Maxine said. "Trouble with guys like him is that he is proficient at lying—even to himself." She rubbed at her upper thigh in thought. "You need to show him that what he thinks he wants and what he really wants are two different things."

Sitting up all the straighter, she asked, "How do I do that?"

Maxine shook her head no. "I haven't a clue." When both of them looked at her disbelievingly, she said, "I don't know. What I do know is that it's past time you need to come out of hiding and deal with it. You have a bun in the oven that needs its daddy and as much as you want to deny it, you do too." There was a sound at the door, she looked at the watch. "Damn, he must have called the office." She looked over to Stephanie. "It's now or never."

Ranger was filling the doorway soon enough, his eyes drilling into Stephanie's. Maxine got to her feet, walking over to Marylou who got up as well. They went over to the living room where Marylou offered her a seat on the sofa. Maxine gave a weary sigh at the sight of the low seating. There would be no way she'd be able to sit down with any amount of grace and getting up would be impossible.

"Is there a problem?" Marylou asked.

Worrying her lower lip, she shook her head no. Just then Lester came into the house. "Ranger's here?" She nodded towards the kitchen.

"_Yo quiero ir_," Maxine said to him to which he nodded.

"Let me tell Ranger and we'll go." He went over to the kitchen, gave a brief report and was back over to Maxine. "Let's go."

"It was lovely to make your acquaintance, Marylou," Maxine said, as they went to the front door. "I only wish it were under better circumstances."

She looked towards the kitchen and back over to the other woman. "Do you think they'll work it out?"

Maxine looked over towards the kitchen with a thoughtful expression. "They'll have to, if only for that baby she's carrying."

Once outside, they made their way over to the SUV only to have Lester stop her before she could open the door.

"Are you going back to the west coast?" It was clear that he was nervous asking as much.

Maxine stepped up to him, cupping his face and looking deeply into his eyes. "You do realize that if I had the ability to do so, I'd be kneeing you right now in the goods?"

"Oh yeah," he whispered.

"Then it's a good thing I can't, huh?" That had him grinning down at her. "What do you guys do for something to eat around here? We can get some grub and we can have a long talk about what I'm going to be doing. I mean other than you after we eat."

"Sounds like a plan," he said, leaning down and kissing her lips lightly. "I've missed you so much, _mi reina_."

"_Te amo, Lester_," she breathed. "_Te quiero mucho_."

His arms went around her, hugging her tightly. "Marry me."

"I never signed the papers," she whispered. "Not a single time you sent them to me." When he pulled back and looked at her startled, she snapped, "We got married in a church in front of God. It's not something you can break up with the say so of man."

"Ah, my good Mexican Catholic wife," he sighed, smiling as he said as much.

Ranger and Stephanie watched them from the kitchen window, his hands massaging her shoulders as they watched the couple as Lester lifted her up into the truck and left for Haywood.

"So they're married?" Stephanie asked.

"Yes, they have been for years," Ranger said. "I didn't know he was missing her as much as he was until we got drunk two weeks ago. After that night, I did some investigating and found out what happened to her and how she kept trying to get a hold of him but couldn't thanks to this woman he had been dating at the time…"

"But if they're married…"

"He went through a wild time there and she didn't want to deal with him as he was. Not that I blame her, he was crazy the way he was drinking and whoring. He kept sending her divorce papers and she kept sending them back torn up with a letter telling him that she's a good Mexican Catholic and he would have another thing coming if he sent the papers to her again."

"When did he stop?"

"She sent her cousin Hector to talk to him," he said laughing.

"Hector? Our Hector?"

"The very same," he answered, kissing her temple. "Let's go home, Babe. It's been too long."

Grinning she said, "I just saw you this morning."

Leaning down he nibbled at her throat. "Yeah, like I said, it's been too long."

**TBC…**

**XXX**

**Translations-**

**_Yo quiero ir: I want to go_**

**_Te amo, Lester: I love you, Lester_**

**_Te quiero mucho: I love you so much_**

**Translations done on my Android phone, checked by my beta, but any mistakes are mine.**

**There you go! Just the epilogue to go and our journey is completed. And I'll be posting that shortly. Thank you.**


	4. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stephanie Plum or any other of Janet Evanovich's characters. Nor do I make any money from the posting of this fanfiction.**

**Epilogue**

Ranger walked into his office, seeing a large manila envelope sitting on his desk. If not for the writing that he knew was Maxine's, he would have called Hal into the office to check it out for him. He went over and opened it up, pulling out the receipts and a letter.

_Dear Carlos,_

_When I received your call, I have to admit that I was more than a little shocked. Hector had told me in the past that you kept a keen eye on your 'Babe' and that losing track of her was next to impossible due to that. But hey, who was I to question something that would have Lester back in my life? But seeing as you had always seen me as someone that wanted to take over your cousin's existence, this struck me as off to say the least. So I came into this "investigation" with some questions._

_New Jersey was nicer than I thought it would be, given all the jokes I always hear about it. Obviously I've put too much weight into them than I should have. I think I know why you settled here. It sort of makes sense. A calm washed over me when I first got here and I managed to pull in the first normal breath in what felt like ages. The office is well laid out, well maintained, and runs like a German train schedule. I asked Lester later just how often the office was cleaned up. He, of course, told me every night. Which is why I thought it so weird to have found the receipts I did in the trash bin when I was thinking this investigation over later on to write up this report/letter to you. They should have been gone that first night. Later on, I checked the dates on the receipts._

_Did you know that when a store makes a copy of an older receipt, the date it is copied is on the receipt as well as the older date? Yeah, I didn't see it the first time, but I did the next time I checked them. It was all too easy wasn't it? It was a nice set up, Carlos. Real nice. But far too easy to see it for the set up you had going. And if I hadn't have been as desperate as I was to be with my husband, I probably would have seen it for what it was. You managed to do for us what our damn pride wouldn't allow us to do for ourselves._

_Thank you._

_Maxine Santos_

Ranger grinned to himself, as he looked at the receipts where she had highlighted the items such as the pregnancy test, burner cellphones, and minutes for said phones. In the upper corner, she circled the newer date in a different pen. Yeah, she was good, he thought. Tossing away the now irrelevant "clues", he buzzed Tank and went about coming up with a workable contract to offer his cousin's wife a job.

The end.

**And that's it! Thank you to everyone that's taken the time to read, reviewed, and followed/favorited. This has been a blast and having all of you along for the ride has made it all the better. I'm currently working on the sequel to this and with any luck it'll work out. We'll see. Thanks again and have a brilliant day.**


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